Search - The Return of the Vampire on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Content Advisory: Mild Violence, Suitable for Children Movie Release: 1943 DVD Release: 08/13/2002 Format: DVD - Black and White - Closed Captioned Edition: Restored/Remastered Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English, French, Japanese, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 9 mins Studio: Columbia TriStar Members Wishing: 5 Genres: Horror, Creature Film

He looks like Dracula, talks like Dracula and dresses like Dracula; but since the movie rights to Dracula were controlled by Universal, Bela Lugosi's character name is Armand Tesla in Columbia's Return of the Vampire. Bringing the Old Legend up to date, the film contrives to have the blood-sucking Tesla rise from his coffin when his tomb is blasted open during the London Blitz. Making up for lost time (he's been interred since WW1), Tesla enlists the aid of talking werewolf Andreas (Matt Willis), who brings him provisions and seeks out new victims. The next soft white neck on Tesla's list belongs to the lovely Nicki Saunders (Nina Foch), but not if Lady Jane Ainsley (Frieda Inescort), who knows what the mysterious stranger is really up to, has anything to say about it. Incidentally, the girl playing Tesla's victim in the opening credits is an unbilled Jeanne Bates. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Bela Lugosi - Armand Tesla
Frieda Inescort - Lady Jane Ainsley
Nina Foch - Nicki Saunders
Roland Varno - John Ainsley
Miles Mander - Sir Frederick Fleet

The better name for this picture might've been "The Return Of Dracula," except that Universal controlled the rights to that character name at the time, and so Columbia Pictures had to name its vampire Armand Tesla -- though, as played by Bela Lugosi in one of his last starring roles for a major studio, he is Dracula in all but name. This title, with its "off-brand" vampire and B-team werewolf, has been kicking around movie lists for decades after being widely shown on television in the 1960's, while on laserdisc, it bounced in and out of print so fast that copies have been trading for serious amounts of money since the early 1990's. The story, which stretches across two decades from the First to the Second World War, is one of the more interesting cinematic variations on the vampire legend, in terms of both content -- mixing quasi-modern science (including psychiatry) with the trappings of the traditional vampire tale -- and structure. The DVD gives Return of the Vampire first-cabin treatment, including 28 chapter markers for the 70 minute feature, and a sparkling transfer of the film itself, so sharp that the fog in the grave yard seems almost palpable; the contrasts are rich and deep, with a velvety texture that's downright seductive. The disc also offers the best sound that the movie has displayed in decades, so that even the score by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco comes to life in all of its moodiness and atmosphere. In terms of the care with which it was produced, this disc can be recommended to anyone who has enjoyed Universal's classic horror releases. The menu opens up automatically on start-up, with the "Play" option in the default position. The chapters are easy to access and a pair of trailers -- but not the trailer from this film -- have been included. In recognition of its short running time, the producers have held the list price down to a very desirable $20. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide